Q1: What is the Legal Dispute stage?

The Legal Dispute stage is a step in the credit application workflow that only applies when your customer does not agree with one or more of your terms and conditions. Instead of accepting the terms as they stand, your customer records which clauses they object to and why. The application is then paused and sent to your legal team, who decide whether the proposed changes can be accepted before the application continues.

Q2: How does your customer dispute the terms and conditions while completing the application?

When your customer reaches the terms and conditions step of the digital application, they choose the option to dispute the terms rather than accept them, then tell your legal team exactly what they would like changed.

What your customer does:

• Reads through your terms and conditions in full before deciding to dispute.
• Selects the dispute option instead of accepting the terms.
• Identifies each clause they disagree with by its clause number.
• Explains the reason for each objection and, where possible, the wording they would accept instead.
• Submits the dispute. The application is saved and moves to your legal team for review.

Q3: What happens to the application after your customer submits a dispute?

The application is placed on hold in the Terms and Conditions Dispute: Legal Department stage while your legal team reviews your customer's comments. The credit assessment and approval steps cannot continue until the dispute is resolved. Your customer does not need to resubmit anything during this time. If your legal team needs more information, or once a decision has been made, you will need to let your customer know directly.

Q4: What happens if your legal team declines your customer's proposed changes?

If the changes are declined, your original terms and conditions remain in place. To continue with their credit application, your customer will need to accept the original terms.

What to do:

• Share your legal team's feedback on each disputed clause with your customer.
• If your customer is willing to proceed, they accept the original terms so the application can move to the next stage.
• If your customer would like to discuss a compromise, they should contact you directly. Trade Shield cannot change your terms on your behalf.

Q5: How will we know an application is waiting in the Legal Dispute stage?

The users assigned to your legal department receive an email notification as soon as your customer submits a dispute. The application also shows the stage Terms and Conditions Dispute: Legal Department in Trade Shield.

What to do:

• Open the notification link, or find the application in the Action Center.
• Make sure at least one active user is assigned to your legal department so disputes are never left unassigned.

Q6: How does our legal team review and respond to a dispute?

Your legal team opens the application, reviews each clause your customer has disputed along with their comments, and then decides whether to approve or decline the requested changes.

What to do:

• Open the application and go to the disputed terms and conditions.
• Review each disputed clause and your customer's reasoning.
• Approve the dispute if the changes are acceptable, or decline it if the original terms must stand.
• Add a clear comment explaining your decision so your customer and your credit team understand the outcome.

Q7: What happens after the dispute is approved or declined?

Once the dispute is approved, the application leaves the Legal Dispute stage and continues through the rest of your workflow, such as the risk checks and approval stages, with the agreed changes recorded against the application. If the dispute is declined, your customer must accept your original terms before the application can move forward. Either way, the decision and comments are kept on the application record for audit purposes.

Q8: When would a wet signature be needed?

A wet signature is a physical, hand-signed signature on paper. Some legal teams require one to finalise a negotiated outcome, for example where amended terms are agreed outside the platform. Whether this applies depends on your own company's legal policy and how your workflow has been configured. If your legal team needs a wet-signature step added to your dispute workflow, contact support.

Q9: Why does an application seem stuck in the Terms and Conditions Dispute stage?

An application in this stage is waiting on your legal team, not on your customer or on Trade Shield. It will stay here until someone in your legal department approves or declines the dispute.

What to do:

• Check the Action Center to see who the application is assigned to.
• Follow up internally with your legal team to action the dispute.
• If the assigned user has left your company or no longer has access, contact support so the dispute can be reassigned.

Need more help?

The support team is ready to assist

support@tradeshield.ai

+27 (0) 10 753 1630

www.tradeshield.a